While living and travelling in Australia,
France formed the
jazz-fusion group, Carnival, performed at the Oz Jazz Festival, and supported
John McLaughlin. He worked with
Stevie Wright of the
Easybeats,
Marty Rhone and
Tim Gaze. He has over 1,000 television, radio, and advertising credits, including eight documentaries and four film scores, including
Band on the Run. France left Australia in 1982 to return to England, where he joined
Diamond Head the following year. Part of the
NWOBHM movement, they performed at Castle Donington
Monsters of Rock, then went on to record their third album,
Canterbury. He played on the hit single "Making Music". France performed at the first triple headliner drum clinic with
Simon Phillips &
Steve White, worked with
Motown UK's C.E.O., 'Ivan Chandler's All Star Quintet' alongside
Andy Hamilton. Also in the quintet were
Spike Edney, and Mike Ashley. Playing at various venues around London, including
Nick Rhodes' wedding party. In 1984 France toured with
UFO, replacing
Andy Parker. Leaving UFO in 1985, he formed
One Nation with Kipper (later
Sting's producer). They worked together at
Tony Visconti's studio in
Soho, London on an array of recordings. When France's wife, Annette, was asked to leave One Nation he felt compelled to leave with her. By now France was also teaching in drum clinics, usually on behalf of the
Avedis Zildjian cymbal company. He set up a teaching studio in
Kingston upon Thames, where he worked with
Gary O'Toole,
Hugo Degenhardt,
Gary Wallis,
Mike + The Mechanics,
Power Station,
10cc,
Jean Michel Jarre,
The Style Council,
Gary Ferguson,
Mark Price,
Tim Burgess, touring through Europe & the UK as support act with
Ellis, Beggs & Howard. France had started writing for magazines in Australia, at the age of fifteen. During 1987, he began a monthly column for the British drummer's magazine
Rhythm. In 1987, France joined
Ellis, Beggs, & Howard (E.B.H.), whose first single, "Big Bubbles No Troubles", won the Diamond Award for best new group. It was around this time that France was asked to fill in for drummer Frank Tontoh with jazz saxophonist
Jean Toussaint. Meeting up to open a venue called The
Soho Jazz Shack, Jean asked France to play with him on a more permanent basis, as he (Toussaint) had a regular slot at the
Dingwalls club in
Camden Town on Sunday afternoons. After E.B.H., in 1990 France joined
Wishbone Ash, with whom he toured and commenced the recording of the album
Strange Affair. He then joined
Anxious Records' band, Pleasure, touring as support act to the
Eurythmics. In 1991, after working with
Simon Ellis (
East 17,
D:Ream,
S Club 7) and others, on the set pieces for his drum clinics, France returned to Australia to form a solo
jazz project, The Gab. Based loosely as a tribute to the jazz greats
Elvin Jones and
John Coltrane, their first album was recorded at
EMI Studios 301 in July 1993. In 1994, he returned to London, ostensibly to promote the solo project where he became a founder member of
Skunk Anansie and recorded and co-produced their debut album
Paranoid & Sunburnt. He co-wrote the hit track "Weak", which has since been covered by
Rod Stewart. He also recorded the
B-side, "Army of Me", with
Björk. France left Skunk Anansie in 1995, joining the German group
Alphaville the next day. He toured and recorded with Alphaville until an accident in which he severed his
Achilles tendon. He lived in
Poland for over two years, hosting his own radio programme, and appearing on various television shows. In 1998, he moved to
Mazarrón, Spain, to concentrate on writing his first novel. He was running Pulpo Negro Records, Pulpo Negro Publishing, Pulpo Negro Studios, GCBC Productions, with his partner, Tim Oldfield up until 2004. He produced the Spanish bands Second, Renochild, and Blue Aliens Temple, as well as Screw Coco. He also produced, wrote, and arranged for London-based artist
Keke. France broadcast for a number of different radio stations in Spain over the last decade including Costa Calida International and TKO Gold. His most recent preoccupation was a return to radio broadcasting for both Real Radio 95.6 FM in Torrevieja on the Costa Blanca and One Radio Spain on the Costa Calida, providing simulcasts between the two Costas. France's first novel,
Six Degrees South was published on 7 December 2011. ==Death==